The Right Way to Breathe

Take the next sentence to heart, commit it to memory, and you'll have one less stumbling block to worry about. The test of whether you're

breathing correctly when you run is whether you have enough breath left to talk.What you and a marathon runner have in common is the seemingly mind-boggling but in fact perfectly natural ability to talk while running. Of course marathon runners, with their extreme stamina,

can run faster and longer than you. But the only reason for this is the many years of constant training behind them. Their organisms have

geared themselves to these long distances. But a marathon runner is not a special, superhuman kind of being, and if he can't talk while running, he's doing something wrong, just as a novice who can no longer talk after the first few steps is doing something wrong. Both are running

too fast for their performance level. As a result, neither will reach their goal. If there is a universal law of running, it is this: anyone who becomes short of breath on a long-distance run has forgotten that there's no running at all without breath. It can't be stressed loudly and clearly

enough: make sure from the word "go" that you are breathing correctly. It's a simple affair. You inhale (o-o-h!) and then you exhale (a-a-h!), slowly, evenly, quietly. I beg and beseech you, on bended knee if you wish, for this is the point at which 99 percent of all those who failed have faltered: the whole secret of running is to breathe slowly. As long as you keep those oohs and aahs in an even, flowing rhythm you are running correctly. Your breathing should be relaxed, like a broad river ambling toward the sea. If the river turns into white-water rapids you are

running far, far too fast. Slow down, even if you have to run at a snail's pace. Don't make the typical beginner's error and try to imitate experienced runners. You can't. Just why you can't is simple to explain, so simple in fact that it's constantly overlooked. That's all I'll say about it now; stay tuned for more details. So, what's the golden rule of good running? Oohs and aahs, slow, quiet, and steady. Run slowly, very slowly, if need be. And with that, you're ready for the next stage.